A shake-up of the progressive beer duty (PBD) taxation system will help to level the playing field in the brewing industry, one expert claims.
Writing in a guest article for the Morning Advertiser, Adnams finance director Stephen Pugh suggests that the government must update PBD in order to bring it in line with similar systems in Europe.
While he agrees that PBD is a good idea in principle, he feels that the legislation needs to be changed to help smaller brewing firms and ensure an even-handed approach in the industry.
"The UK's PBD system is restricting the growth of successful smaller brewers; it is making it very difficult to sell a small brewery and it is creating substantial inequalities," he notes.
However, Julian Grocock, the chief executive of the Society of Independent Brewers, recently claimed that the introduction of PBD had been a "shot in the arm" for the brewing industry.
Typical Guttridge equipment used in the brewing industry includes
